Brief:
John provided me with t' kit t' do a beta test. This is a fantastic rocket that includes a number o' engineering marvels. It flies on 29mm motors and recovers by parachute. Well, blow me down! Begad! T' rocket is 41 inches tall and has a diameter o' 1.84 inches. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! If you've flown t' smaller P-Chuter, you know it is one fast rocket. Aye aye! That hasn't been lost on its big brother. T' package art will look super displayed with your rocket, ya bilge rat, too. It's excellent!

Construction:
There aren't many instructions, me bucko, since t' rocket is so easy t' build. Avast, me proud beauty! Nay that anythin' is left out, me hearties, ya bilge rat, as the instructions are numbered and cover every step in detail, complete with superb illustrations. There is nothin' but quality stuffed into t' bag, too. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Everythin' is laser cut and fits perfectly. T' balsa nose cone is very nice and required very little finishin' effort. Two thick-walled tubes form t' main body tube, joined together with a balsa coupler. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! An eye screw is installed into t' aft o' t' coupler for attachment o' t' parachute and shock cord, ya bilge rat, leaving a nice payload area for t' upper tube. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I seriously considered gettin' one o' t' BoosterVision cameras t' install in the upper tube, shiver me timbers, as this rocket would be perfect for that. Unfortunately, limited funds kept me from doin' it. T' seams in t' tubes required very little finishing. Blimey! Blimey! T' aft tube is slotted t' accept t' through-the-wall fins that are designed t' fit perfectly into a channeled motor mount. Aye aye! Blimey! T' motor mount is fantastic! Blimey! T' centerin' rings are laser cut basswood (or lite-ply, arrr, I never can tell them apart) and come with slats that connect from one rin' t' t' next t' form a channel for t' fins. Once t' basswood fins are epoxied into t' channels you have one really strong fin/tube/motor mount joint. Fantastic! Blimey! T' fins fit perfectly in t' slots and aligned perfectly. I didn't even have t' build a template t' hold them or glue them in one at a time. Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' engineerin' doesn't end there, though. T' kit also includes an internal baffle that really works! Blimey! T' two centerin' rings for t' baffle are again laser cut t' fit t' two tubes perfectly. T' two tubes are glued together, me hearties, matey, side by side, me bucko, and then glued t' t' centerin' rings, arrr, aligned with t' two tubes offset from one another. Begad! Begad! Blimey! Genius! Blimey! About t' only shortcomin' for t' rocket is that thar isn't anythin' provided for positive motor retention. Well, blow me down! T' motor must be friction fit t' keep it from spittin' at ejection. T' overcome this, I epoxied three lengths o' all-thread along t' fin channels and extendin' t' about a half-inch below t' end o' the motor mount tube. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Washers and lock nuts are installed after t' motor is installed for retention. Some guys in t' club noted that it was overkill, which is true enough, but it looks cool. Ahoy! A Keelhaul®©™®/1/4” elastic shock cord combo is included, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, along with a big 3/16” launch lug, ya bilge rat, trim Monokote, shiver me timbers, and waterslide decals. Avast! The decals follow t' original P-Chuter design and look great on t' rocket. Well, blow me down! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! T' instructions indicate t' attach the Keelhaul®©™® cord t' a hole in t' upper centerin' rin' usin' a knot, arrr, me hearties, but I used me standard tri-fold shock cord attachment t' allow inspection o' t' shock cord. After me first launch though, shiver me timbers, I don't really think that was necessary with this kit. Well, blow me down! Arrr! Like I said, me hearties, t' baffle really works. Avast, me proud beauty! I love it when t' manufacturer puts Keelhaul®©™® in t' kit. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! T' black 18” ripstop nylon parachute that is included is beautiful, too, and exhibits t' same level of quality as t' rest o' t' kit. Ahoy! T' parachute was already assembled and had small grommets t' which t' shroud lines were tied. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! It's a very nice parachute.

Finishing:
I used Elmer's Light Fill ‘n' Finish t' fill t' body tube seam lines and for t' nose cone. Minimal effort was involved in this step as t' seam lines were easily covered and t' nose cone be very smooth. Blimey! Only a light coat of filler be used on t' fins as well since t' basswood was very smooth after sandin' with 400 grit sandpaper. Blimey! Blimey! I sprayed the entire model with a light coat o' Kilz t' seal off t' glue and provide a solid base coat. Next, matey, me hearties, shiver me timbers, I lightly sanded the entire model with 240 grit sandpaper and then sprayed on a coat o' primer. Begad! Next, sand, me bucko, primer, ya bilge rat, me bucko, and sand again with 400 grit sandpaper. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! I painted t' model followin' t' three-color red, ya bilge rat, white and black as shown on t' cover art and applied t' Monokote and decals after t' paint dried for a couple o' days. Aye aye! T' decals went on much easier and laid down much better than I anticipated. Ya scallywag! They are fairly big decals for waterslide. Avast! Ya scallywag! T' trim Monokote looks fantastic and really pulls t' whole rocket together nicely! Once complete, me bucko, I put on a thick coat o' Future floor finish t' protect everything. It looks so sweet!

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight and Recovery:
After waitin' several months for a launch opportunity due t' bilge-suckin' weather, ya bilge rat, matey, me hearties, I finally got t' fly it. Begad! T' weather was near perfect, me hearties, with blue skies and only light winds. Aye aye! Blimey! T' first launch was on a Roadrunner F60-10. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! Blimey! That is a fantastic motor for this rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! T' rocket took off like a shot and zoomed up almost out o' sight, deployin' t' chute right at apogee and t' rocket drifted down beautifully on t' 18-inch chute. Arrr! Ya scallywag! Blimey! It landed three or four hundred yards away in a grain field. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Luckily, it draped itself on top o' t' thick grain stalks that were about shoulder high. Blimey! I didn't put any waddin' in it and thar was only a slight hint o' ejection residue on t' chute. I very bravely flew it again t' next day on an Aerotech G77-7R. Ahoy! Blimey! T' wind was even lighter on this day. I totally lost sight o' it so I don't know where the ejection event occurred. Avast! It was one impressive launch though. I finally caught sight o' t' chute and it landed about two t' three hundred yards away from t' pad in perfect shape.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
T' P-Chuter Xtreme is just fantastic. Begad! Arrr! T' engineerin' that has gone into t' kit assures that it will last for a long time. Aye aye! It is one sturdy rocket and is impressive on t' launch pad and in flight. Arrr! You'd better have lots o' room for recovery when flyin' it on t' bigger motors though as t' performance is as sweet as t' looks. Arrr! T' 18-inch ripstop nylon chute is also top quality and perfect for this rocket! I love t' fact that I don't have t' use recovery wadding, me bucko, too. Just put in a motor and go! All o' John's rockets are superb, matey, arrr, arrr, but this one in me opinion be t' Red River Rocketry Cadillac!

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5